BlackBerry launches its first BB10 smartphone Z10 in India at Rs 43,490

NEW DELHI: BlackBerry on Monday launched its first BB10 smartphone Z10 in India at a maximum retail price of Rs 43,490.

The launch in India follows the global launch of the new operating system and two devices -- Z10 and Q10 -- powered by the new platform on January 30.

The struggling smartphone maker has also re-christened itself as 'BlackBerry' from Research in Motion earlier as it looks to turn around its fortunes.

The company, which pioneered email on the go, is now undertaking a "journey of transformation of business and brand".

The device will compete with Apple's iPhone and those based on Google's Android operating system, which have gained popularity across the world.

In July-September period of 2012, Android smartphones had a market share of 72.4 per cent, while Apple's iOS market share stood at 13.9 per cent compared to RIM's share of 5.3 per cent.

However, BlackBerry has a strong fan following in India, especially among youth. As per CyberMedia Research, RIM's market share in Indian smartphone market stood at 12.1 per cent during January-June 2012 period.

RIM is betting big on touchscreen with its new User Interface (UI) on Z10 and other features like BlackBerry Balance.

BlackBerry, which faced strong criticism for lack of content on its application store, has also revamped it to take on Android's Play Store and Apple's App Store.

BlackBerry, which for long been touted as an enterprise device, has introduced 'BlackBerry Balance' that will allow users separate professional data and applications from music, photographs and other personal items. The new devices also feature enhanced camera features.

BlackBerry Z10 was first unveiled in UK, last month, followed by Canada, UAE and USA earlier this month.